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Post by OldSchoolAT40Fan on Apr 2, 2012 8:22:37 GMT -5
It's pretty logical. The year-end top 100 was no problem for much of the 1980s - during a time where there were a lot of top ten hits. Sure, there may have been a scattered few top 20 hits on the year-end surveys (for example, in 1985, "Solid" by Ashford & Simpson ranked #80 on the year-end countdown, and that peaked at #12) but only because those songs enjoyed enough longevity on the top 40.
Though, starting in 1992, we were entering an era where there were a lot less top ten hits. Most of the bottom half of the 1992 year-end survey was comprised of top 20, even top 30 hits! Maybe that's solid proof that demand for top 40 radio was in decline at that time!
I guess the producers were in the right frame of mind to downsize the year-end countdown to the top 50 in 1994 in an effort to limit such show to mostly top ten records or higher-charting top 20 records. The last Seacrest-hosted year end countdown was the top 40 songs of 2011, if I recall. Though demand for top 40 music is still relatively good, but a lot of songs spent months in the top 40 (many of those weeks in the top ten).
To sum it up, the top 50 (or top 40) year-end countdown is useful during a time where there were songs that spent many, many weeks or months on the top 40, or where there were fewer top ten records during the survey period. Airing a top 100 of 1992 or 1993 was deemed redundant as a significant percentage of the countdowns was devoted to top 20 or top 30 records.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2012 10:25:03 GMT -5
Not sure what 92 year ended you are talking about. I dont remember a lot of lower top 20 hits hitting CT40s YE show. In fact, if I remember right Jam reached #10 and wasnt on it at all.
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Post by matt on Apr 2, 2012 10:33:21 GMT -5
I guess the producers were in the right frame of mind to downsize the year-end countdown to the top 50 in 1994 in an effort to limit such show to mostly top ten records or higher-charting top 20 records. The last Seacrest-hosted year end countdown was the top 40 songs of 2011, if I recall. Though demand for top 40 music is still relatively good, but a lot of songs spent months in the top 40 (many of those weeks in the top ten). I would guess that the reason AT40 went to a Top 50 year-end countdown in 1994 had a lot more to do with the fact that they were less than a month away from pulling the plug on AT40 completely by the time that show aired. Clearly at that point, ratings had fallen to the point where a full Top 100 was not justifiable, and what else were they going to do during the "frozen chart" week? |
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Post by OldSchoolAT40Fan on Apr 2, 2012 19:16:13 GMT -5
Not sure what 92 year ended you are talking about. I dont remember a lot of lower top 20 hits hitting CT40s YE show. In fact, if I remember right Jam reached #10 and wasnt on it at all. I'm referring to AT40's year-end countdown for 1992. I definitely remember hearing a few songs that peaked below #20 scattered throughout the lower half of the top 100. I do know that Stacy Earl's "Love Me All Up" didn't make the top ten on AT40, and it may have peaked below #20 or barely in the top 20, and it ranked #97 for the year. "Everybody's Free" by Rozalla ranked at #100 on the 1992 year-end countdown, and it definitely didn't make the top 20, if I recall. And I agree with wahoo. AT40 was on its last legs in 1994, and it just wasn't worth having a top 100 year end survey for 1994. Me thinks the producers knew the end was coming, and they just wanted to send the radio stations a little thank-you note, and one month after the year-end special for 1994 aired, AT40 - the original run - was officially done. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2012 19:26:11 GMT -5
Not sure what 92 year ended you are talking about. I dont remember a lot of lower top 20 hits hitting CT40s YE show. In fact, if I remember right Jam reached #10 and wasnt on it at all. I'm referring to AT40's year-end countdown for 1992. I definitely remember hearing a few songs that peaked below #20 scattered throughout the lower half of the top 100. I do know that Stacy Earl's "Love Me All Up" didn't make the top ten on AT40, and it may have peaked below #20 or barely in the top 20, and it ranked #97 for the year. "Everybody's Free" by Rozalla ranked at #100 on the 1992 year-end countdown, and it definitely didn't make the top 20, if I recall. Ok, but that had nothing to do with transitional music. It had to do with a slower moving chart on Billboards part. I believe they were totally computerized in terms of determining station airplay then. R&R on the other hand still wasn't. Don't forget that 1992 was also the first (and last) two part year end countdown since the early 80s. |
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Post by OldSchoolAT40Fan on Apr 2, 2012 19:28:51 GMT -5
Don't forget that 1992 was also the first (and last) two part year end countdown since the early 80s. When was the previous year-end survey that was a two-parter? 1982? And why was there a two-parter year-end survey for 1992 of all years? This seemed to be odd, seeing that for many years beforehand and one year afterwards, they had a full 8-hour broadcast all in one shot. I don't know why the sudden change of year-end countdown format for 1992, yet it wasn't the case in 1991 nor 1993. But I agree, a two-parter was probably a better idea. There's nothing worse than sitting in my room for 8 hours on end, recording on audio cassette a full top 100 year-end survey for historical purposes. Thankfully, I only had to record an 8-hour broadcast one final time in 1993, and once AT40 went off the air, I was pretty much free! |
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Post by matt on Apr 2, 2012 19:31:26 GMT -5
Don't forget that 1992 was also the first (and last) two part year end countdown since the early 80s. When was the previous year-end survey that was a two-parter? 1982? Yes - 1983 was the first year-end AT40 special that was presented as a full 8-hour non-stop show. All top 80/100 year end shows before that were 2-parters. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2012 19:40:24 GMT -5
Don't forget that 1992 was also the first (and last) two part year end countdown since the early 80s. When was the previous year-end survey that was a two-parter? 1982? And why was there a two-parter year-end survey for 1992 of all years? This seemed to be odd, seeing that for many years beforehand and one year afterwards, they had a full 8-hour broadcast all in one shot. I don't know why the sudden change of year-end countdown format for 1992, yet it wasn't the case in 1991 nor 1993. But I agree, a two-parter was probably a better idea. There's nothing worse than sitting in my room for 8 hours on end, recording on audio cassette a full top 100 year-end survey for historical purposes. Thankfully, I only had to record an 8-hour broadcast one final time in 1993, and once AT40 went off the air, I was pretty much free! No one seemed to know. I asked when I got the show a couple of months ago and discovered this. I asked on here and there wasn't really an answer, just hypotheticals. Here's the thread: at40fg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=classic&action=display&thread=2224 |
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